Breaking News

No Roberts hearing Tuesday

The Senate Judiciary Committee apparently will not open its hearings on Supreme Court nominee John G. Roberts, Jr., on Tuesday, as has been planned. News organizations are reporting that Senate leaders have discussed beginning the hearings no earlier than Thursday, to honor the funeral services for Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist. The news stories indicated that the hearings would start no later than Monday.

It is unclear whether the White House has taken formal action to notify the Senate of the decision to nominate Roberts for the Chief Justiceship, instead of an Associate Justice’s position. The Senate Judiciary Committee’s website still lists the planned hearings as a review of Roberts’ nomination to be an Associate Justice, and still shows Tuesday as the opening day.

(UPDATE, Tuesday morning: the Committee’s website shows the hearings have been postponed.)